We Quinoa believe how tasty Quinoa can be!
Quinoa: It looks like a grain, it cooks like a grain, it even fills you up like a grain, but this high protein, gluten-free seed is packed with nutrients and amino acids. It can even replace rice in most dishes. So, it makes sense that such a beneficial ingredient is so popular, but we had to know: can it taste good? Yes. Seriously.
Quinoa’t are we talking ’bout?! (Quinoa is pronounced Keen-Wah, in case you were wondering.) Well, here at HarrisandDave.com, we put together a few test recipes. We wanted something healthy that we could eat, but tasty enough for company. We came up with Mushroom Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash & Fennel. It’s our favorite way to enjoy this superfood. Maybe it will be yours too? Give it a try and we promise we won’t make anymore quinoa puns.
Mushroom Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash & Fennel
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups quinoa (rinsed)
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup baby portabella mushrooms
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 butternut squash cut into chunks
- 1 fennel cut into chunks
- 1 red onion cut into chunks
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Rinse your quinoa in a sieve. This is an important step to ensure all of the coating of bitter-tasting saponins have been removed from the quinoa seeds.
Place the rinsed quinoa into your rice cooker or medium saucepan and add the water and chicken stock. If cooking in a rice cooker, press the cook button and wait for quinoa to fully cook. If using the traditional method of a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, place your chopped butternut squash, fennel and red onion on a roasting pan and lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place into 400 degree oven and roast until tender and caramelized; about 20 minutes. Stir part way through cooking time to ensure even caramelization.
While your vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, melt butter in large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the mushrooms and sauté. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper to taste. Cook mushrooms until tender; about 5 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and combine the mushroom and place onto a large serving platter. Place on top of the mushroom quinoa the roasted vegetables, adjust seasoning (I sometimes like fresh olive oil) and serve.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Smokey and Sweet Baby Back Ribs!
Opening Day is next Monday, and spring is in the air. Well, it’s supposed to be anyway, but here in Baltimore we just got some snow! But we’re still trying to get in the spring spirit, and nothing says warmer weather like BBQ! We slow cook our ribs for four hours to ensure that the ribs get super tender. We also use a dry rub which encrusts the ribs in a beautiful crust, or bark. So, never be intimidated by ribs again! Don’t believe us? Give it a try!
Harris’ Yellow Layer Cake!
Since we just threw our friend a birthday dinner at our home, we wanted to share with you the recipe for Harris’ Yellow Layer Cake!
Yellow Layer Cake
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups sugar
10 tablespoons soften butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
Directions
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with wax paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl whisk together and set aside, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium size bowl whisk egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add ¼ cup of sugar and whisk until moderate peaks form and set aside.
Beat in large bowl, using whisk attachment if possible, beat together, 1 ½ cups sugar, butter and oil until lite and fluffy, which usually take 4 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
With mixer set to slow speed add flour mixture alternating with buttermilk and beat until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Pour into cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
1 10 oz. Package of Semisweet Chocolate Chips or Squares
¾ Light Cream or Half & Half – Room Temperature
¾ lb. of Unsalted Butter
3 ¼ C Confectioners Sugar
Directions
In saucepan on low heat, melt and combine the butter and chocolate. Add cream and sugar. Whisk until smooth and holds shape.
Ideas for a Romantic Dinner at Home!
Dave shows off his decorating skills with a romantic tablescape for two- just in time for Valentine’s Day! He decided to use the family room as his setting for his special dinner, rather than the kitchen or dining room. Dave also breaks out the best china, silver, and crystal to celebrate in style! Check out the transformation in the video below!
Changing up your setting just by changing the room in which you enjoy your meal can make for a surprisingly elegant and intimate evening. Try planning your Valentine’s dinner in a room that is filled with your own memories. Check out some of these cool details Dave adds to his Valentine’s Day table!
Dave’s Special Valentine’s Day Menu (Let us know if you want us to do one of these recipes!)
Here, he uses their special red tinted Waterford glasses and unique bottle opener!
And here are the name tents for dinner. Even if it’s just the two of you, name tents will make your dinner at home feel professionally catered! These elegant cherub-shaped name plate holders are from Germany and bring back lots of wonderful memories.
From our hearts to yours- Have a Beautiful and Happy Valentine’s Day!
With Love,
The Dads: Harris & Dave
Kerrygold Butter Gets the Gold Medal from Us!
Watch the video below to hear why Kerrygold Butter always gets the gold in our book!
This is our favorite cooking ingredient! As we say: always use quality ingredients!
Just a quick tip from The Dads: Harris & Dave!
Impress Your Guests with This Homemade Gourmet Pizza!
We mentioned recently that we had made a pizza from scratch for Harris’ mother’s Italian birthday, so we wanted to share our recipe with you!
Gourmet pizza is always a great crowd pleaser and with Super Bowl Sunday coming up, this might be one of the best entrees to serve up!
Here is our recipe that worked great for us. But the beauty of pizza is that you can dress it anyway you like, so feel free to experiment with your own variations! What’s your favorite way to decorate your pizza? Have you made it at home before? What tips worked great for you that you would like to share? Leave a comment and we will let you know if we try any of your suggestions!
Arugula with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Four Cheeses Pizza
For the Pizza Crust:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¾ cups of warm water, not over 110 degrees
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
(Note: If you do not have a standup mixer, then mix it by hand using a wooden spoon. An electric mixer would be too difficult to use in this instance.)
Pour yeast into the warm water and allow to sit for five minutes.
Using a standup mixer first combine the flour and salt. Next, set your mixer to run at low speed and drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Pour in yeast and water until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Coat a mixing bowl with olive oil and form the dough into a ball. Toss the dough ball in the bowl with olive oil to coat the ball. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for one to two hours. It is best to place bowl in the refrigerator 24 hours ahead for the best flavor.
Punch the dough down and roll out to fit your greased pan (we used a standard baking sheet). Try to avoid stretching the dough.
For your Toppings:
1 unbaked pizza crust (as above)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch Kosher salt
Pinch black pepper
Red pepper flakes
1/3 cup basil pesto
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups red cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
1 ½ cups yellow or orange cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ cup basil leaves, rolled and sliced thin
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
4 ounces asiago cheese, grated
½ cup parmesan reggiano cheese, grated
½ cup ricotta cheese
4 ounce fresh arugula
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place cut tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste in a medium size bowl. In small skillet, heat olive oil, add garlic and stir for one minute and remove from heat. Pour over tomatoes mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Set aside.
Roll out dough very thin, dusting with flour and transfer to oiled baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over dough and spread evenly. Spread pesto over dough. Sprinkle mozzarella, asiago, and parmesan reggiano evenly over pizza. With a spoon place a small amount of ricotta over the entire pizza and sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes. Then cover top with arugula, then spoon over tomatoes mixture. Cut into squares and serve.
Bon appétit!
Video: Harris Bakes a 3 Layer Chocolate Cake!
Recipe: The Dads’ Perfect Chocolate Cake!
Who can resist a bite of this delicious, decadent Chocolate Cake?!
Chocolate Cake
Cake Ingredients:
1 C Unsweetened Cocoa
2 C Boiling Water
2 ¾ C Sifted All-Purpose Flour
2 t Baking Soda
½ t Salt
½ t Baking Powder
½ lb. Unsalted Butter – softened
2 ½ C Sugar
4 Eggs
2 t Vanilla
In a bowl, combine cocoa and boiling water. Mix with whisk until smooth. Allow to cool completely. When cooled, preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour-dust three 9 inch layer cake pans. Cut rounds of wax or parchment paper and place on bottom of cake pans to help remove cake from pans after baking.
In large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, at high speed cream together butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. At low speed, alternately beat in 25 percent of flour mixture and chocolate mixture until fully incorporated – do not over beat. Divide equally into the 3 cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top springs bake when gently pressed with fingertip. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Allow to completely cool on rack.
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
1 10 oz. Package of Semisweet Chocolate Chips or Squares
¾ Light Cream or Half & Half – Room Temperature
¾ lb. of Unsalted Butter
3 ¼ C Confectioners Sugar
In saucepan on low heat, melt and combine the butter and chocolate. Add cream and sugar. Whisk until smooth and holds shape.
Assemble and frost the cake. Enjoy!
Christmas Baking: Classic Pumpkin Pie
Our Christmas baking is underway! Is yours?
We have been so busy doing our last-minute shopping that we haven’t had much chance to post. The holidays are just so crazy! But here’s our Classic Pumpkin Pie recipe! It would be fantastic on any holiday table! Hope you enjoy it!
Pumpkin Pie
Use a deep dish 9 or 91/2 pie plate and use flaky pie dough for the crust.
Ensure eggs milk and cream are at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 cups of fresh pumpkin or pumpkin puree in a can
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice or clove
½ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Whisk egg yolk in small bowl and brush pie dough. Allow egg wash to dry.
Please note… the above step is optional, but the reason we suggest it is because the egg forms a moisture barrier between the crust and the filling and helps to keep the crust for getting soggy and soaked with the pumpkin filling.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl and whisk in all remaining ingredients. Pour into a prepared pie plate and bake until the filling sets up. It should take for 40 to 45 minutes. You will be able to tell when it is done when you nudge the pie the center will quiver.
Let the pie cool completely before you refrigerate. For the best pumpkin pie flavor allow it to refrigerate for a day or two before serving.
